Title: The Use and Misuse of Graveyards.
Medium: 36mm Black and White film
Date: November 2017
About: This Project looked at the Use and Misuse of Aberystwyths Graveyards, a record of the community past and a practical, conservation and environmental dilemma for the community’s present, and different ways of dealing with them with some areas aloud to be overgrown whilst St Michael’s Graveyard Aberystwyth, has been converted into a park and carpark, many of the gravestones have purely been relocated and the bodies have not been exhumed. The removal of Gravestones and even exhuming of remains has become common practice in last 300 years or so with land being short in more populated areas historic graveyards are seen as easily cleared land. This work raised some interesting questions, for example When Does a Graveyard Case being a Graveyard. Alongside historical and spiritual debates as regards the reuse of the land.
The Subsequent serious following on from this continue to focus on the same theme in more active local graveyards at Plas Crug, St Padern’s Church – Llanbadern. Looking at elements which try to capture something beyond stereotypical graveyard photography, weather it be discarded flower tributes and overgrown corners or just an outlook on the practical movements with two small figures seen in background of the landscape ensuring they maintain the manicured landscape of the graveyard.
Chris Corish Art 